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United States Patent |
6,095,888
|
Panepinto
|
August 1, 2000
|
Turkey call with glare resistant striking surface
Abstract
A turkey call includes a housing and a striking plate for producing
artificial turkey sounds when the striking plate is contacted by and moved
relative to a rigid striking member that is moved relative thereto. The
striking plate is preferably formed of an aluminum and includes a glare
resistant striking surface. The glare resistant striking surface may also
include a plurality of concentric grooves formed therein to allow for a
more consistent turkey sound to be produced, even during adverse weather
conditions.
Inventors:
|
Panepinto; John J. (Venetia, PA)
|
Assignee:
|
Creative Woodcrafts Inc. (Venetia, PA)
|
Appl. No.:
|
055200 |
Filed:
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April 3, 1998 |
Current U.S. Class: |
446/397; 84/410; 446/418 |
Intern'l Class: |
A63H 005/00; G10D 013/08 |
Field of Search: |
446/397,418
84/411 R,410,294
|
References Cited
U.S. Patent Documents
D312426 | Nov., 1990 | Battey | D10/116.
|
1654592 | Jan., 1928 | Lockwood | 84/411.
|
4586912 | May., 1986 | Adams | 446/397.
|
5066260 | Nov., 1991 | Lindler | 446/397.
|
5178575 | Jan., 1993 | Koch | 446/397.
|
5527526 | Jun., 1996 | Wesley | 446/397.
|
5562521 | Oct., 1996 | Butler et al. | 446/397.
|
5585579 | Dec., 1996 | Ignatius | 84/410.
|
Primary Examiner: Hafer; Robert A.
Assistant Examiner: Fossum; Laura
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Agarwal; Brij K., Queen, II; Benjamin T.
Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A turkey call for cooperating with a rigid striking member to produce
artificial turkey sounds, the turkey call comprising:
a housing including a base and sidewalls extending from said base, said
sidewall terminating in a free edge, said base and said sidewall defining
a sound chamber and said free edge defining an opening;
a striking plate configured to be received in said opening of said housing,
said striking plate having a glare resistant striking surface that
produces the turkey sounds when the rigid striking member is placed in
contact with said glare resistant striking surface and moved relative
thereto, wherein said glare resistant striking surface includes a
plurality of concentric grooves formed therein; and
said striking plate being composed of aluminum and being anodized to
provide said glare resistant striking surface.
2. The turkey call of claim 1 wherein:
said glare resistant striking surface includes a glare resistant coating
applied thereto while said striking plate is anodized.
3. The turkey call of claim 2 wherein
said striking plate has a thickness in the range of about 0.0880 to 0.09375
inches.
4. The turkey call of claim 3 wherein
said striking plate has a diameter in the range of about 3.0 to 5.0 inches.
5. The turkey call of claim 3 wherein
said striking plate has a diameter in the range of about 3.488 to 3.498
inches.
6. A turkey call for cooperating with a rigid striking member to produce
artificial turkey sounds, the turkey call comprising:
a housing including a base and sidewall extending from said base, said
sidewall terminating in a free edge, said base and said sidewall defining
a sound chamber and said free edge defining an opening;
a striking plate configured to be received in said opening of said housing,
said striking plate having a glare resistant striking surface that
produces the turkey sounds when the rigid striking member is placed into
contact with said glare resistant striking surface and moved relative
thereto;
said glare resistant striking surface includes a plurality of concentric
grooves formed therein;
said plurality of concentric grooves are generally circular; and
said plurality of concentric grooves have a depth in the range of about
0.007 to 0.010 inches.
7. A turkey call for cooperating with a rigid striking member to produce
artificial turkey sounds, said turkey call comprising
a housing including a base and sidewall extending from said base, said
sidewall terminating in a free edge, said base and said sidewall defining
a sound chamber and said free edge defining an opening;
a striking plate configured to be received in said opening of said housing
and having a striking surface that produces the turkey sounds when the
rigid striking member is placed into contact with said striking surface
and moved relative thereto, said striking surface having a plurality of
concentric grooves formed therein;
said striking plate is made of a material selected from the group
consisting of aluminum and stainless steel;
said plurality of concentric grooves are generally circular; and
said plurality of concentric grooves have a depth in the range of about
0.007 to 0.010 inches.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to turkey calls, and more particularly, to
turkey calls having a glare resistant striking surface.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many types of turkey calls are known in the art. For example, there are
"box" type turkey calls, "diaphragm" type turkey calls, and turkey calls
which include a striking plate that produces artificial turkey sounds due
to contact by and relative movement with a rigid striking rod or striking
member.
As to the type of turkey call having a striking plate and a striking
member, typically the striking plate is formed of slate, glass or a metal,
such as, for example, aluminum, in order to best obtain the desired
artificial turkey sounds. Among the problems encountered with turkey calls
having such striking plates formed of a metal is that typically the metal
is shiny and reflective. This is particularly true when aluminum is used
to form the striking plate. As can be appreciated, a turkey call having a
shiny and reflective striking plate can be disadvantageous to a hunter
using the same. For example, sunlight may reflect off of the striking
plate and reveal the hunters presence to the turkey, or other game, being
hunted.
In addition, turkey calls having such striking plates, i.e., formed of a
metal, typically include a striking plate that is generally smooth. This
makes it difficult for the user of the turkey call to consistently obtain
the desired turkey sounds. Furthermore, a striking plate with a generally
smooth surface makes it difficult to use the turkey call during adverse
weather conditions, such as rain or snow. For example, the rain or melted
snow is retained on the smooth surface of the striking plate and prevents
the desired turkey sounds from being produced.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,586,912 discloses a game call having a glass striking
surface that may be roughened by sandblasting or etching. Such roughening
of the surface makes it difficult to consistently obtain the desired
sounds due to the variations in the surface roughness and when using the
game call in adverse weather conditions.
There remains, therefore, a need for an improved turkey call, and in
particular, an improved striking plate that does not have a shiny and
reflective striking surface. There is also a need for an improved striking
plate that allows for desired turkey sounds to be produced consistently,
and which can be produced in all types of weather conditions.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has solved the above-described problems by providing
a turkey call with an improved striking plate. Specifically, the turkey
call includes a housing having a base and a sidewall extending from said
base which define a sound chamber. The sidewalls terminate in a free edge
wherein the free edge defines an opening of the housing. The striking
plate is configured to be received in the opening of the housing. By
contacting the striking plate with a rigid striking member and moving the
striking member relative thereto, artificial turkey sounds can be
produced.
One feature of the invention is that the striking plate has a glare
resistant striking surface. Advantageously, this prevents, for example,
sunlight from reflecting off of the striking surface of the turkey call
and revealing the user's position to the turkey or other game that is
being sought. The glare resistant striking surface may preferably be
obtained by anodizing the striking surface of the striking plate. The
striking plate is preferably made of aluminum. The glare resistant
striking surface may be established by applying a glare resistant coating
to the striking surface during the anodization process.
Another feature of the invention is to provide the glare resistant striking
surface with a plurality of concentric grooves formed therein. In a
preferred embodiment, the plurality of concentric grooves are circular.
Advantageously, the grooves formed in the striking surface allow for a
more consistent sound to be obtained from the turkey call. Further, the
grooves allow for the turkey call to be used in all types of weather
conditions.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved turkey call
having a striking plate with a glare resistant striking surface.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved
turkey call where the striking surface of the striking plate is grooved to
provide a more consistent turkey sound.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a turkey call that can
effectively be used in all weather conditions.
It is an object of the invention to provide a turkey call that is durable,
easy to use, and can be economically manufactured.
These and other objects of the invention will be more fully understood from
the following description of the invention with reference to the drawings
appended hereto.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an exploded isometric view showing a turkey call of the
invention.
FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a rigid striking member which is used in
conjunction with the turkey call shown in FIG. 1 to produce turkey sounds.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 3 but showing another embodiment
of the striking plate of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As used herein the term "dark color" means the colors including, but not
limited to, black, dark blue, dark brown or variations, combinations and
assortments thereof which will have low light reflecting properties.
As used herein the term "glare resistant coating" means any surface which
through color would resist or inhibit the normal light reflecting
properties of the exposed metal surface through use of dark colors as
defined herein.
As used herein, "aluminum" refers to and includes substantially pure
aluminum and aluminum alloys.
Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a turkey call 10 of the invention. The
turkey call 10 includes a housing 12 having a base 14 and a sidewall 16
extending from the base 14. The base 14 and sidewall 16 define a sound
chamber 17. The sidewall 16 terminates in a free edge 18 which defines an
opening 20. The housing 12 may be formed of plastic, carbon or wood, or
any other suitable material, as is known. It will be appreciated that the
shape of the housing 12, as shown in FIG. 1, is for illustrative purposes
only and that other shapes may be utilized to make the housing 12.
The turkey call 10 further includes a striking plate 22 which is configured
to be received in the opening 20 of the housing 12. In the preferred
embodiment, the housing 12 includes a shoulder 24 circumferentially
disposed about an inner wall 26 of the housing 12. The striking plate 22
is preferably permanently affixed to the housing 12 and specifically to
the shoulder 24 using, for example, a known mechanical fastening means or
an adhesive (not shown). Preferably the striking plate 22 encloses the
sound chamber 17.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the striking plate 22
includes a glare resistant striking surface 28. The glare resistant
striking surface 28 provides for the production of artificial turkey
sounds when the glare resistant striking surface 28 is contacted by a
rigid striking member 30, shown in FIG. 2, that is moved relative to the
striking surface 28 as is generally known. Specifically, the rigid
striking member 30 includes a handle end 32 and a striking rod 34 having a
striking end 36 that actually contacts the glare resistant striking
surface 28 to produce the desired turkey sounds. Preferably, the striking
end 36 of the rigid striking member 30 is placed on the glare resistant
striking surface 28 and moved in a circular manner, as indicated by arrows
A, to obtain the desired turkey sounds. The handle end 32 may be made of
wood, metal, plastic or any other suitable material. The striking rod 34
and striking end 36 are preferably made of wood, but may be made of other
suitable materials such as glass and carbon.
The striking plate 22 may be made of a material selected from the group
consisting of aluminum, stainless steel, and other suitable metals or
composite materials. Preferably, the striking plate 22 is made of
aluminum, such as, for example, 5052-H34 aluminum. Advantageously, by
providing for a glare resistant striking surface 28, the otherwise shiny
and reflective surface of the striking plate 22 is eliminated. This allows
for the user of the turkey call 10 to more effectively use the turkey call
while hunting turkey or other game. Typically, a turkey hunter who would
utilize the turkey call 10 wears a significant amount of dark or
camouflage clothing and other hunting accessories in order to blend in
with the surrounding hunting environment. This reduces the possibility
prevents the hunter's location being revealed to the turkey or other game
that is being sought. By providing for the turkey call 10 to have a
striking plate 22 with a glare resistant striking surface 28, then the
hunter's position or location will less likely be revealed, as would be
the case if the striking plate 22 had a shiny or reflective surface.
Referring to FIG. 3, there is shown a sectional view of the striking plate
22 having the glare resistant striking surface 28. Preferably, the glare
resistant striking surface 28 includes a glare resistant coating X. The
particular color of the glare resistant coating X is preferably black, but
may be any dark color combination or assortment of dark colors.
Preferably, the glare resistant striking surface 28 is obtained by exposing
the striking plate 22 to an anodization process during which a colored dye
material is adhered to the striking plate 22 to form the glare resistant
coating X with dark color. However, it will be appreciated that a glare
resistant striking surface may be obtained by other processes. Anodization
is a process that is well known. The specific anodization process used to
obtain the glare resistant striking surface 28 on the striking plate 22
may be as follows. First, the striking plate 22 is introduced to a bath of
oil removing solutions and then dipped into a caustic bath. The striking
plate is then deoxidized in a rinse solution and dipped in a sulfuric acid
bath, at which time an electric current is introduced to the sulfuric acid
bath for opening the pores of the striking plate 22. The striking plate 22
is then again rinsed in a clear water based solution. The striking plate
22 is next dipped into another bath containing a dye preferably of a dark
color, such as, for example, "Sanodye MF Fast Black OA Powder" dye
manufactured by Clariant Corporation, that provides the glare resistant
coating X with dark color to form the glare resistant striking surface 28.
Finally, the striking plate 22 is rinsed in a bath of nickel acetate that
seals up the pores and prevents the black dye from fading.
It will be appreciated that one or more dark colors may be applied to the
striking plate 22 such that the glare resistant striking surface 28 may
include a single dark color or variations, combinations or assortments
thereof to produce, for example, a camouflage pattern.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the glare resistant
striking surface 28 of the striking plate 22 preferably includes a
plurality of concentric grooves 40 formed therein. The grooves 40 allow
for the user of the turkey call 10 to obtain a more consistent turkey
sound when the striking end 36 of the rigid striking member 30 is placed
into contact with and moved relative to the glare resistant striking
surface 28, for example, in the direction of arrows A. This allows for the
user to use the turkey call 10 in whatever position the turkey call 10 is
being held by the user. In otherwords, the grooves 40, which are
preferably circular as shown in the preferred embodiment of FIG. 1, allow
for 360.degree. use of the turkey call 10. Therefore, the user of the
turkey call 10, may rely on the fact that contact and movement between the
striking end 36 of the rigid striking member 30 and the glare resistant
striking surface 28, in a manner as indicated by arrows A, will result in
consistent turkey sounds being produced.
The grooves 40 formed in the glare resistant striking surface 28 also
permit the turkey call 10 to be effectively used in all types of weather
conditions. Specifically, the grooves 40 allow for moisture, such as rain
or snow, to be received therein enabling the striking end 36 of the rigid
striking member 30 to more fully contact the glare resistant striking
surface 28.
The grooves 40 may be formed in the glare resistant striking surface 28 by
using a known machining tool equipped with a proper cutting tool to form
the grooves 40. Preferably, the grooves have a depth in the range of about
0.007 to 0.010 inches. In addition, the striking plate 22 preferably has a
thickness in the range of about 0.0880 to 0.09375 inches. The diameter of
the striking plate 22 is preferably in the range of about 3.0 to 5.0
inches, and more preferably in the range of about 3.488 to 3.498 inches.
It will also be appreciated, that the grooves are preferably formed in the
glare resistant striking surface 28 prior to the described anodization
process to obtain the glare resistant coating X with dark color,
preferably by the anodization process described herein.
While not the preferred embodiment of the invention, a glare resistant
coating can nevertheless be applied to a striking plate that does not
include the grooves formed therein. For example, FIG. 4 sets forth a cross
sectional view of a striking plate 22' having a glare resistant striking
surface 28' due to a glare resistant coating X' with dark color being
applied thereto.
It will be appreciated that the present invention provides an improved
turkey call that includes a glare resistant striking surface. The glare
resistant striking surface may also include a plurality of concentric
grooves formed therein to allow for a more consistent artificial turkey
sound to be produced by the turkey call.
Whereas particular embodiments of the invention have been described above
for purposes of illustration, it will be appreciated by those skilled in
the art that numerous variations of the details may be made without
departing from the invention as described the appended claims.
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